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The triple jump (sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump) is similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit. The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a modern Olympics event since the Games’ inception in 1896, although the women’s event was only introduced at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

The athlete sprints down a runway to a takeoff mark, from which the triple jump is measured. The takeoff mark is commonly a physical piece of wood or similar material embedded in the runway. In modern championships a strip of plasticine is attached to the board to record athletes overstepping or "scratching" the mark, defined by the trailing edge of the board, for a foul jump which does not count.

There are three phases of the triple jump: the "hop" phase, the "bound" or "skip" phase, and the "jump" phase. These three phases are executed in one continuous sequence. The hop starts with the athlete jumping from the mark on one leg, and ends landing heel first on the runway with the same leg, a sort of "cycling" movement. The objective is to hop out, focusing all momentum forward.

In the skip, the athlete immediately jumps with the takeoff leg and lands on the runway with the opposite leg, covering as much runway as possible. The skip is followed by the jump, where the athlete jumps from that same non-takeoff leg to land in a sand-filled pit.

The jump phase is very similar to the long jump. In the long jump process, an athlete must hit the mark with his/her take off leg bringing the opposite leg bent and straight up; both legs must come in front of the athlete when landing inside the sand-filled pit.

Each phase of the triple jump should get progressively higher. However, if the athlete's takeoff foot lands in front of the board, then the athlete fouls. A "foul", also known as a "scratch," or missed jump, occurs when a jumper oversteps the takeoff mark, misses the pit entirely, does not use the correct foot sequence throughout the phases, or does not perform the attempt in the allotted amount of time (usually about one minute).

Men

2012 Olympic Champion: Christian Taylor (USA)

Olympic Record: 18.09 – Kenny Harrison (USA – 1996)

British Gold Medallists: Tim Ahearne (1908); Jonathan Edwards (2000)

World Record: 18.29m – Jonathan Edwards (GBR - 1995)

British Record: 18.29m – Jonathan Edwards (1995)

Women

2012 Olympic Champion: Olga Rypakova (KAZ)

Olympic Record: 15.39m – Francoise Mbango Etone (CMR – 2008)

World Record: 15.50m – Inessa Kravets (UKR – 1995)

British Record: 15.15m – Ashia Hansen (1997)

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